Monday, 21 December 2015

The Perfect Party Dress...

With parties coming at us left, right and centre, I thought what better than to write a simple easy guide to find your perfect party dress.

So I scoured the net for the most beautiful dresses I could possibly find. Two days it took me I would like to add! I hope you all feel special!

Christmas parties, work dos, New Years Eve events, house parties, balls, discos. I've got the lot!

I have tried my best to cover all sizes, styles, price ranges, ages, brands and occasions.

Options from Boohoo, Missguided, River Island, Topshop and Asos.

So there should be something for everyone!

Bare in mind a lot of these dresses will be going into the Boxing Day sales so you can make a choice to either grab it quick before the sales to secure it, or wait and get it cheaper if it's not sold out.I'll leave that down to you lot. I'm not getting involved.

I'm going to do this shop by shop then style by style as I feel that is the easiest way. This is going to be the longest blog post yet but I wanted it to be a good one!I have also put the link to each item underneath it, hope that helps!

My personal opinion on Boohoo? I never used to really be that fussed about it, it has always been good for prices but I wasn't keen on the selection or quality.

Boy was I surprised?! I took a look at Boohoo because I had noticed their Instagram feed has been on point recently and I am so impressed. They have stepped up their game I can assure you! Still great prices, they have an amazing selection of dresses that are all on trend and as good as the higher priced shops, they do a good selection of sizes!

They range from size 4-24 which I think is great as it covers a lot of sizes. They also do a section for tall people which is good as I don't think you find that very often.

Another fantastic thing about Boohoo is the free returns! So you could order a whole bundle of dresses if you wanted and just keep the ones you like. They also have great deals on delivery. Every time I go on Boohoo there is a deal like free delivery or reduced next day delivery.

I also like that they have videos that show someone wearing it on the catwalk. It gives you a better insight of the fit which is always handy.

Very impressive Boohoo, top marks!

The only thing I could say about Boohoo that is negative is that their sizes are a bit odd as some dresses go up to a 14, some go up to 16 and some go up to 18. Surely every dress should come in all the popular sizes? Also stock availability wasn't fantastic so they may not have your size but there is lots of different dresses to choose from online!

Here are a few of my favourites that stood out...

The 'Killer Curves' Dress

A great thing about Boohoo is that they have a plus size range which is size 16-24.

I thought this one was very flattering, I like the idea of the peplum shape because I know some people can get self-concious of their stomach so I thought this was a good choice for anybody who feels that way.

This dress comes in black, navy and red and they all look lovely.

It is £20 which I think is a really good price!

This would look lovely with some pointed heels and a nice glitzy glam clutch bag.Shop it here.

The 'Pretty and Petite' Dress

Boohoo also do a petite range for anybody 5 ft 3 and under but they still do from size 4 upto a size 14 which is fab.

I think this one is very pretty and rather sexy. I really like the lace panel in the middle!

This dress comes in black or white but I felt the black was more 'party' as it could be dressed up with some sparkly jewels whereas the white is more summery.

Missguided was my next choice, they are becoming more and more popular and have some lovely items this year!

If you spend over £60 you get free next day delivery and they also do 20% student discount.

I do feel like they don't have a good colour option like Boohoo. Boohoo have a lot of their dresses in a wide selection of colours but Missguided don't have the option to see it in another colour which is a shame. They also had very low stock on a lot of their items.

As I said there are some lovely items but I still don't feel there is a massive selection. Maybe they did have a great selection but because they are doing so well they have all sold out??

I noticed they have bought back a lot of summer stock to put in the sale too but we don't want summer!

I was a little disappointed with Missguided this year for party dresses but here are some that did impress me and keep me very interested!

The 'Killer Curves' Dress

How bloody adorable is this feather dress?? Yet this model still looks seriously sassy!

If you girls live by the motto 'If you've got it, flaunt it' then I think this is a great choice.

It is part of Missguided's Plus Size range which go from size 16-24.

I love the strappy heels with this dress too and the dress is just £20 which I think is a fantastic price.

Well...if someone walked into the party wearing this I would definitely be staring, but for all the right reasons of course. It's obviously for something more formal but it certainly has wow factor! I love the colour too! Very christmassy.

I couldn't believe the price...£20!! That's amazing. I think it looks like it's worth much more.

This basic khaki dress is one that you can dress up easily with some lovely jewellery and shoes, stacked bracelets would work well. It's only £10 so you don't have to break the bank to look fabulous this year.

Having worked at River Island I am a big fan. They have such good quality clothes and are always right on trend. At the moment they have 50% of some of the party wear too!

It is free delivery on orders over £65 and free next day delivery on orders over £100.

Some people are put off River Island because they are bit more expensive but I feel like the clothes are a bit more premium there. Unfortunately they don't have a plus size range HOWEVER I heard they are soon to launch one! They also don't have a petite range for dresses.

I did feel the website let me down though. Hardly any selection on party dresses which is not good this time of year! Come on River Island!

The 'Killer Curves' Dress

This dress is super smart and I love the monochrome design. Again the peplum is very flattering on curvier girls. This comes in size 6-18 but they have low stock so you'll have to hurry if they do have your size as its selling out quick!

This one is £50 and would look lovely with some barely there sandals and a nice clutch.

I really like the vibrant green of this dress. I think it immediately catches the eye so if you want a big entrance then bright colours are a good way to do so. You could block colour really well with this too. Contrasting colour lipsticks and bags.

I'm a very big fan of Topshop. It's probably my favourite shop for style and if I had the money I'd buy everything in there.

I like the fact they do a big range of sizes. They have a tall section, a petite section, and a maternity section too for any of you ladies who are expecting. However they have no plus size range which is frustrating. They only go upto a size 16.

They have a really good selection on party dresses too and a whole section dedicated to New Years Eve which was very handy for me when writing this post.

They are selling out of stock quickly though, a lot of the nice things were very low stock.

The 'Killer Curves' Dress

Sorry that the pictures are very small! They go pixelated if I enlarge them *sigh*.

I have featured this dress in burgundy on my post 'Topshop is Teasing Me'

I think this dress is stunning and I think it is a lovely fit and would suit someone with a curvy figure.

It ranges from size 4-16 and would look lovely with some delicate silver pieces and it is £100.

This is probably one of my favourite dresses out this whole post. As I said I'm not a big fan of pink for myself but I'm subjective to a little baby pink. I love anything with sequins this season and it's just so pretty. Perfect for a girly girl and fit for a princess.

If you don't want a lot of attention but still want to make the effort, you can never go wrong with a little black dress but this is a nice spin on it. A shift dress and it's faux leather. I really like leather items and this one is a good piece for anybody wanting to try out leather but isn't sure about wearing anything tight or super shiny.

I really love this slip dress by Motel. It's so fun and really unique. Amazing bright colours, this is definitely one for the dance floor. It would look really pretty in the lights and I think if you've got a confident personality and love to strut your stuff then this is perfect.

I really like the colour of this one. I'm not sure if it's khaki or gold but it's different to your normal plain bodycon dress. It is £20 and could be dressed up really nicely with some glitzy glam accessories. It is very low stock though, available in sizes XS-L.

Unfortunately I couldn't get a picture of the bottom of this dress but you can see it by clicking on the link below. It is a maxi dress and covered head to toe in black sequins which looks amazing in the lights. It is by TFNC and this is a big splurge at £100 but imagine yourself in it... draped in diamonds. We can all dream.

Out of all the shops I chose to feature on this blog post I was most impressed by Asos. I literally have nothing bad to say about them. AMAZING variety, hundreds of brands to choose from, almost everything was in stock and the best part? They range from size 2 to size 28 as they do a plus size range, a petite range and a maternity range.

Another perk to Asos is that if you spend £10 a year you can get free next day delivery and free returns for the whole year which is a deal you can't refuse really, especially if you're a shopaholic like myself. They also do student discount.

The 'Killer Curves' Dress

I thought this was a very feminine choice and I like that it's very neutral and laid-back. Would look lovely with a nice blazer and some kitten heels. £40 and comes in sizes 18-28.

I really really wanted to feature this one as it's amazing. Unfortunately it is only in the petite range so it's sizes 4-14 but for £45 this is a steal. It looks so much more expensive. If you have a very fancy event coming up I think this is perfect. I'm head over heels...

I love the colour of this dress and the design. Simple yet chic. Very sleek and perfect for a smart work do. £48 and available in sizes 6-16. Would look lovely with some matte black court shoes and delicate jewellery.

I'm a little bit in love with this dress. It's very bohemian which is one of my favourite styles. However it is £98 which I feel is very pricey for a shirt. It is by the brand 'Free People Changing' and comes in sizes XS-L. I love that it can be casual or dressy depending on what look you are going for.

If you want to be certain that you will be the complete centre of attention this season then this is your perfect party dress. My gosh. Look at it!! That model looks fabulous. It is £65. Again I think it looks like it's worth more. It looks very designer and available in sizes 6-16.

I think any accessories and jewellery other than a clutch bag and some stud earrings would look too much. The dress is definitely the star of the show and you don't want to over do it.

I've noticed that royal blue has been catching my eye a lot recently so when I saw this one for £18 I thought it was really nice. Block colouring would work really well too. Some nice rich colours and a bright lip. Available in sizes 6-16.